House of Masks 003b
Caspar puts the cup of tea in her hands. 8:39:48 PM Josie: She takes it and takes a deep smell of it, holding in the breath and then exhaling, before taking a sip. 8:40:26 PM Caspar: ((What's her attitude toward me? Indifferent or Friendly? Probably Indifferent at them moment?)) 8:40:41 PM Josie: Probably indifferent, yeah. 8:41:32 PM Caspar: ((kay, I get her up to friendly. 15.)) Have you been in this house before you got here the other day? 8:42:31 PM Josie: Illa: ... no. Have you? It's so big, I'm sure a whole town could live here. 8:42:35 PM Josie: She smiles wanly. 8:44:20 PM Caspar: No, I've only been here a few days myself. I'm in the room with the big library. The other day, we found this... room. The floor spun. The hallway outside had a mirrored ceiling, and when we looked up... we saw... horrible things in our reflections. 8:44:39 PM Caspar: I'm not so sure I like this place, but I think the feeling might be mutual. 8:45:44 PM Josie: Illa: ... Lissa only took this job because of me, you know. She thought it would be better here, and they offered a lot of money. 8:46:26 PM Caspar: Where were you before? 8:47:31 PM Josie: Illa: Back home.... it's a small town, you wouldn't have heard of it. I got... sick, and Lissa had to take care of me. 8:48:38 PM Caspar: Caspar nods. "Sick? What happened? If you don't mind answering." 8:49:07 PM Josie: Illa stares at her teacup. "I don't want to talk about it." 8:49:14 PM Caspar: Okay. 8:50:00 PM Caspar: Caspar looks at her. "You want more tea?" 8:50:41 PM Josie: Illa: ... yes, please. ... thank you. 8:50:53 PM Caspar: ((Trying to decide if I want to try another Diplo check to get her to Helpful. With my luck I'll roll a 1 and end up accidentally hitting on her.)) 8:51:58 PM Caspar: Caspar pours her more tea. "I'm from Solitiare. When I was three, I drank a thing my father was working on. It made me sick for a long time." 8:52:29 PM Caspar: A potion. I imagine I thought it was juice or something else sweet and tasty. 8:52:41 PM Josie: Illa: .... what happened? 8:52:57 PM Josie: Illa: You look all right, so you must have survived... 8:54:57 PM Caspar: Caspar sits next to her and takes her hand. His hand ripples and changes, becoming a near-perfect replication of hers. "My father said it was a 'destabilization of my physical form. I'm pretty... mutable." 8:55:48 PM Josie: Illa stares. "... but that's good, isn't it?" 8:56:10 PM | Edited 8:57:30 PM Josie: Illa: Being whoever you want to be. Never needing to be anybody else. 8:56:56 PM Caspar: It's pretty good, I'll admit it. But a lot of times I wonder what I'd be if I hadn't drank that stuff. 8:58:59 PM Caspar: Caspar cups his chin. "This isn't what I look like. I'm not a half-elf, but it's what I'd look like if I was... if I hadn't turned into what I am. I used to spend a lot of time agonizing over 'what I would have been'. My mom always told me that 'you are what you are'." His hand turns back to his own hand. 8:59:35 PM Josie: Illa: But you can be what you want to be. 9:00:01 PM Josie: She sets her mug down and takes his hand in both of hers, examining it curiously. 9:00:44 PM Caspar: Yeah. But sometimes I wonder what I really am. I don't really have my own face. 9:01:12 PM Josie: Illa: What do you look like when you're not... trying? 9:02:20 PM Caspar: I'm not sure. I've never.... not tried. 9:02:39 PM Josie: Illa: ... but aren't you curious? 9:03:14 PM Caspar: Kind of. But mostly scared of what I'd see in the mirror. 9:03:44 PM Josie: Illa: Maybe you'd just see you. 9:03:56 PM Caspar: Maybe. 9:04:00 PM Caspar: Maybe not. 9:04:27 PM Caspar: ... what happened, Illa? 9:05:48 PM Josie: She looks at you; her eyes are greenish. 9:06:36 PM Josie: Illa: ... I had a... a fit, and he was trying to help. 9:07:25 PM Caspar: What about the wounds? 9:07:53 PM Josie: She turns bright red. 9:08:20 PM Caspar: Caspar gives her hand a squeeze. 9:08:32 PM Josie: Illa: ... I don't know, I don't remember. 9:09:22 PM Caspar: ((Rolling sense motive.)) 9:09:31 PM Caspar: ((Man, finally. rolled a 20.)) 9:09:47 PM Josie: She's telling the truth, but she's also trying to hide something else. 9:11:11 PM Caspar: ((Is she being influenced by a mind-affecting effect? 25 or higher can detect that.)) 9:11:20 PM Josie: Definitely not. 9:11:25 PM Josie: Also, she doesn't smell like booze at all. 9:13:03 PM Caspar: Caspar nods, giving her hand another squeeze. 9:13:06 PM Josie: (back to the other room.) AM Josie: You head outside. You can probably find a proper cemetery, or bury her on the grounds somewhere. AM Caspar: Taking Fran's advice, I'm going to see if there's any patches of flowers, perhaps magically sustained through the winter. If not, cemetary. AM Josie: You head for the grounds in the back of the house, as that's the most likely location for that. AM Josie: You don't see anything at first, but then a sort of odd tube-shaped thing a little ways from the house catches your eye--it's sort of greenhouse shaped. AM Caspar: Caspar heads in that direction. AM Josie: It has a door, and it's not locked. AM Josie: Inside, you find it's actually a sort of magical high tunnel--a greenhouse that utilizes the actual soil to grow things. It *is* full of flowers, at least on one end--there's vegetables on the other. AM Caspar: Hrmm. Probably not the best place to bury bones, then. AM Josie: It wouldn't be too bad, provided you put them on the path or right at the end of the path. AM Caspar: How big is it? AM Caspar: The tunnel, I mean.)) AM Josie: Huge! AM Josie: As big as a two bedroom house. AM Caspar: Caspar looks for a good place, then. AM Josie: You can go to the end of the path. There's even digging tools. AM Josie: And heavy gloves so you won't get blisters. AM | Edited 12:18:31 AM Caspar: How thoughtful! He gets to digging. AM Josie: Well, it is a magical garden, so it makes sense. AM Caspar: ((Sorry, I'm laying on my bed and trying to type around Wednesday who's laying on my upper chest.)) AM Josie: You dig a hole. You can try to lay her out like a person or just put all the bones together in a narrower hole; it probably doesn't matter. AM Josie: ((Cuuuuuuuute.)) AM Caspar: Caspar will keep them in the cloak. It's a nice cloak. He digs a deep hole, a few feet down. Then he covers it up, puts a few flowers on there, and is thoughtful for a few long moments. AM Caspar: I'm not a priest or anything. But I hope that the next world is happier for you than this one was. AM Josie: A bird warbles somewhere nearby, and it's quiet. AM Josie: It does seem like a nice place to be. Flowers everywhere and quiet. Peaceful. AM Caspar: Caspar lingers for a few moments before heading back into the house. AM Josie: Easily done! AM Caspar: Then he'll head to the Kitchen. AM Josie: She's probably still in her room. AM Caspar: Caspar goes over and knocks! AM Josie: "Come in!" AM Caspar: He peeks his head in. "You feeling better?" AM Josie: Illa: A little bit, yes. ... you smell like blood too. Are you all right? AM Caspar: I'm fine. We went to retrieve some remains. Had to walk through some fresh remains. Didn't actually get hurt myself. I'm not terribly useful in a fight. AM Josie: She sets the book she's holding down on a stack of other books, and brushes aside her nearly-colorless hair. AM Josie: Illa: Oh, good. Ugh, that smell. AM Josie: She wrinkles her nose. AM Caspar: Caspar pulls his boots off and sets them outside the room. "I had forgotten about it. Sharp sense of smell you have." AM Josie: Illa: Do I? I hadn't really noticed, I suppose. Thank you, that's much better. AM Josie: Illa: I've been trying to work out a better archiving spell. AM Caspar: How's it going? AM Josie: Illa: Pretty well. I've come up with a spell that should work, but I haven't decided yet what information I should gather. AM Josie: Illa: Author and title, obviously. Date of printing. Printer. AM Josie: Illa: But should I include the subject? And number of pages? AM Caspar: Caspar moves over and examines one of the stacks of books. "Definitely subject. My mom loves books. My father made her a portable hole that has a small library inside so she always has access to her most important books. Once you have the spell figured out, I'l love to be able to send her a copy." AM Josie: That particular stack seems to be about shapeshifting. AM Josie: Illa: Of course. AM Caspar: Caspar has probably read most of these. "Hrm. She helped me read this one when I was seven. Polymorphism vs. Physical Stasis." AM Josie: Yep. AM Josie: Illa: When you were *seven*? AM Caspar: My parents are crazy smart. Dad's an Artficer. Mom's a powerful Wizard. I got a really.... eclectic education. AM Josie: Illa: You must be from Solitaire, then. AM Caspar: Caspar nods. "Yeah." AM Josie: Illa: How many wives do you have? AM Caspar: That's always the first question people ask! I'm not married at all. AM Josie: Illa laughs. "Well, you do hear things. Are you a horrendously powerful mage too?" AM Caspar: I'm not, really. I'm not terribly good at magic. It could be because of the potion I drank. AM Caspar: Caspar shrugs. AM Josie: Illa: Oh... that's too bad. They don't like people who aren't mages down there, I've heard. AM Caspar: It's... awkward, yeah. AM Josie: Illa: I've always found magic easy.... I read all the time when I was little and spellbooks just seemed like more books. AM Josie: Illa: On days when I was too ill to go out, books were my friends. AM Caspar: ((Factotum is not a class you take for its magic. At level 2 I get to cast one 0 level spell per day. -_- )) AM Caspar: I can read the spells, I understand them and how they're put together. But whatever that spark is that turns them from a random collection of symbols and letters into a brief alteration of reality, I don't quite have it. AM Josie: Illa: Well, it's probably good you're here, then. Meneluininese don't care if you have magic or axes, like my sister does. AM Caspar: Mm. I'm just kind of walking the world right now, learing things. AM Caspar: I envy your ability, though. I think mom really wanted me to be a Wizard. AM Josie: Illa: It's not that great. The really big spells take decades to learn. AM Caspar: I suppose that's true. And I suppose it frees me up to learn lots of other things, too. AM Josie: Illa: And I bet you can run and jump and climb and swim, too. AM Caspar: No, not really. I'm pretty frail, actually. AM Caspar: (( 8 Con!)) AM Caspar: It's my amorphous body structure, I think. AM Caspar: I'm kind of unstable. AM Josie: Illa: Here, let me see your hand again. AM Caspar: Caspar holds it out. AM Josie: She takes it in hers and examines it. "It looks like an ordinary hand to me." AM Caspar: Physically, sure. Metaphysically, they only thing that holds it together is my will. AM Josie: Illa: No wonder you can't do magic, your mind is holding you together. Can you change temperature too? AM Caspar: Not really. My body temperature stays the same. AM Caspar: ...can I ask you something? AM Josie: Illa: Of course. AM Caspar: ... I'm sorry if this is too personal. But, you and Ulisse. Are you.... lovers? AM Josie: She turns bright red. "No! No, not at all." AM Josie: Illa: Why? AM Caspar: Caspar smiles a little, gives a shrug. "... I didn't think so. And if it's not terribly forward, I'm glad to hear that." AM Josie: She turns even redder, if that's possible. "... oh, well... I... people aren't usually interested. I mean, in me." AM Caspar: Really? How is that possible? AM Josie: Illa: I don't... get out much. AM Josie: She's telling the truth, but only part of it. AM Caspar: ((Yeah, I know she's holding something back there. Her mysterious illness.)) AM Caspar: Caspar nods. AM Josie: Illa: I'm not like Lissa. She's the strong one. AM Caspar: Well. The world's loss, then. I appreciate brainy women. AM Josie: She blushes again. It's the pale coloring, everything shows. AM Josie: Illa: Well... I'll try to make sure she doesn't plant an axe in your brain, then. AM Caspar: To be honest, I've been interested since you introduced yourself as a librarian, so. AM Caspar: And that would be lovely. AM Josie: Illa: It's so sad here, though. Nobody's read any of the books here for years, maybe decades. And I don't even know what's in the other wings. AM Caspar: I'll tell you what. As we head out into the wings while mapping and exploring, any books I see, I'll grab them and bring them to you. AM Josie: She beams. "Good. But there's whole *libraries* in there, you know." AM Caspar: Well, then we'll at least have the paths to them mapped. AM Josie: Illa: Thanks. That's... really sweet. AM Josie: She squeezes his hand a little bit. AM Caspar: A librarian without a library isn't a librarian. She's just an... ian, I guess. AM Caspar: Caspar squeezes her hand back. AM Josie: Illa: Of course there's enough to keep me busy in this wing alone, really. AM Caspar: I'm sure we'll be able to keep you in work for quite some time, Illa. AM Josie: Illa: ... If I were you.... I'd want to know. AM Caspar: ... I do. AM Josie: Illa: Then you should find out. It can't be that bad, can it? AM Caspar: I have a pretty high tolerance for the unusual. You should meet my grandmother. AM Caspar: Caspar takes her other hand. "So tell me." AM Josie: She blushes again. "I... I meant what you look like when you don't try. Not.... me." AM Caspar: I don't think I'm ready for it yet, though. AM | Edited 1:53:29 AM Josie: Illa: ... what do you want me to tell you? AM Caspar: I want to know about you. AM Josie: Illa: There's... not much to tell, really. AM Josie: Illa: We've had a quiet life, mostly. Lissa takes care of me. AM Caspar: Yeah, your sister is... terrifying. AM Josie: Illa: You just don't know her yet, that's all. She's wonderful, really. AM Caspar: Not saying it's a bad thing. AM Josie: Illa: She's so strong. And she takes care of my when I'm not well. She... does have a temper. AM Caspar: I noticed. That's not a bad thing. AM Josie: Illa: I do too, I just... don't get mad very often. AM Caspar: Everyone has a temper. When I get mad my skin turns red sometimes. AM Josie: Illa smiles. "Really? Show me." AM Caspar: Caspar turns his skin red. "I'm obviously not mad right now." AM Josie: Illa snrks. "You look like one of those demons." AM Caspar: Which? AM Josie: Illa: Imps? Or quasits. I always forget. AM Josie: She sits down on a couch near the window. AM Caspar: Caspar sits next to her. "Probably imps. Whats your favorite color?" AM Josie: Illa: Green. AM Caspar: Caspar turns his skin green! AM Josie: She laughs. "If you can look like anybody, how did you decide what to look like?" AM Caspar: Well, when I was a kid, I just went with my appearance before the accident and aged it every few years. Through my adolescence, I had a new body every day. Puberty and on was very awkward, so... I choose not to explain that. When I got to adulthood, I just combined features from my parents and randomized them a bit until I found a face I liked, that could be a 'default' me. AM Josie: Illa: Your parents must be good-looking then, or you have good taste. Or both. AM Caspar: He blushes a bit. You know, darker green. AM Josie: Illa snrks. "You should turn off the green! Have you ever lived as a half orc?" AM Caspar: Caspar goes back to normal. "Yeah. Half-orc, dwarf, halfling, elf, half-giant, gnome, kobold..." AM Josie: Illa: What's it like? AM Caspar: What's what like? AM Josie: Illa: ... being you. AM Caspar: I don't know that I could describe it. I've never been anyone else, not really. No matter what I look like, I'm always me. AM Caspar: ((oh.)) AM Josie: ((Oh?)) AM Caspar: ((Just had an idea about her. Hope it's not true!)) AM Josie: ((Succubus?)) AM Josie: ((What idea?)) AM Caspar: ((...She's addicted to that crazy magic drug, isn't she? The one that lets you ride someone else's consciousness. That's her illiness, that she's an addict. and Ulisse is her dealer, basically.)) AM Josie: ((Certainly possible, and maybe even likely!))\ AM Josie: If she's a succubus you're about to find out, as she leans over and kisses Caspar. AM Caspar: He kisses her back! She could kill him! He doesn't have any levels to drain, and only has 8 con! AM Caspar: ((Succubus didn't occur to me.)) AM Josie: ((Oops!)) AM Josie: When it's over he still has his soul! Dodged that bullet. AM Josie: Also she's blushing again. AM Caspar: He smiles at her. AM Josie: She smiles back. AM Caspar: That was unexpected. AM Josie: Illa: Well... you're always you. AM Caspar: Isn't everyone? AM Josie: Her smile fades a bit. "Sometimes." AM Caspar: he frowns. "What did I say?" AM Josie: Illa: Nothing. It's not important. AM Caspar: ((22 SM on that nonsense!)) AM Josie: Yeah, transparent lie. It's important, she just doesn't want to talk about it. AM Caspar: Of course it's important. But I can tell you don't want to talk about it. AM Josie: Illa: No. ... thank you. AM Caspar: It's okay. AM Caspar: ((He's gonna get his malleable little heart broken!)) AM Josie: ((Crushed.)) AM Josie: Illa: ... you know, you smell like flowers now. AM Caspar: Do I? AM Caspar: ((Well, you were supposed to say 'nah'! Or something like that.)) AM Josie: ((EATEN ALIIIIIIIVE.)) AM Josie: Illa: Yes. I just didn't notice it before. AM Caspar: Caspar sniffs. AM Josie: You don't smell anything! AM Josie: But you were in the greenhouse, so. AM Caspar: Oh. Yeah, I was in the greenhouse before I came in here. AM Josie: Illa: It's nice. AM Josie: She leans on his shoulder. AM Caspar: He smiles at her. "Will your sister really put an axe in my brain?" AM Josie: Illa: If we get caught. AM Caspar: Well. We needn't rush things. AM Josie: Illa: She won't unless you hurt me somehow. AM Josie: Illa: And I can't imagine you would. Would you? AM Caspar: I wouldn't. AM Josie: She smiles again. AM Josie: Illa: Good. It feels safe, being here with you. AM Caspar: Good. AM Caspar: Hey... have you been having nightmares? AM Josie: Illa: I haen't been sleeping much. But... yes. AM Josie: Illa: What have you dreamed? AM Caspar: He frowns. "It's the house. It's been giving us nightmares. I'm not sure why." AM Josie: Illa: Are you sure? Lissa said she thought the house liked me. AM Caspar: My nightmares started as soon as we started sleeping here. It might not be the house itself, but something powerful in the house. AM Josie: Illa: But what did you dream? AM Caspar: There was a double of mine. Murderous. AM Josie: Illa: Oh. I dream I've hurt people too. AM Caspar: That seems to be a common theme. Showing us twisted versions of ourselves. AM Josie: Illa: It was horrible. AM Josie: Illa: I'm glad I'm... not the only one. AM Caspar: No. All of us that have to sleep are having them. AM Josie: Illa: You do have to sleep, then. AM Caspar: Yeah. AM Josie: Illa: ... so do I. Would you... would you mind staying here with me while I sleep a little? There's books to read, if any of them interest you at all. AM Caspar: Caspar smiles. "I can do that. I'd just to my room and read, otherwise. Might as well do it here." AM Josie: Illa: Thanks. I'd feel.... safer. AM Caspar: I won't go anywhere. AM Josie: Illa: You're very kind... AM Josie: She draws her feet up onto the couch and goes to sleep right there, still leaning on him. AM Caspar: /me, for his part, grabs a book and starts reading it. AM Josie: And there we can stop so I can sleeeeeeep. Category:House of Masks Category:Logs